Steam road-roller.



No. 702,851. Patented June |7,.l902.

T. WRIGHT.

STEAM ROAD ROLLER.

(Application filed Feb. 26, 1902.) I (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet LWITNESSES: R. 4:3 MW

- t I U w A TTORNEK THE NORRIS PETZRS co, mmaummwagumacu. n. c.

STEAM ROAD ROLLER.

(Application filed. Feb. 26, 1902.)

2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS \VRIGIIT, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

STEAM ROAD-ROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 702,851, dated June1'7, 1902.

Application filed February 26, 1902. Serial No. 95,790. (No modem T0(tZZ whom it 'nmq concern.-

Be itknown that I, THOMAS WRIGHT, a subject of the King of Great Britainand Ireland, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SteamRoad- Rollers, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to steam road-rollers, and more particularly torollers of the now generally accepted type comprising a horizontalboiler and frame, driving-wheels located on each side of the rear of themachine, and a steering-roller located at the front of the machine.

The presentinvention relates more particularly to the connection andsupport of the front steering-roller, and has for its object to obviatecertain objections attendant upon the usual mode of connecting the frontroller with the boiler. This connection is in the nature of a universaljoint, the roller being supported in a yoke, between which and theboiler there are interposed two pivotal connections at right angles toeach other, the one vertical and the other horizontal. Heretofore, sofar as I am aware, this connection has been uniformly effected byattaching to the boilerfront a housing or connection, by means of whichthe vertical pivot or kiug-post is supported directly in front of theboiler. This construction is disadvantageous for several reasons, butchiefly on account of the fact that it obstructs access to the front endof the boiler for the purpose of inspecting the same or cleaning thefines and also for the reason that it limits to a very material extentthe height or diameter of the front roller. It is the purpose of mypresent invention to obviate these di'l'ficulties; and to this end mysaid invention consists in certain novel features, which I will nowproceed to describe and will then paticularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of aroad-roller having my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlargedvertical section upon the line 3 y of Fig. 3 and looking in thedirection of the arrows, portions of the device being shown inelevation; and Fig. 3 is a plan section taken on the line as a: of Fig.2.

In the said drawings, 1 indicates the boiler, which is of the usualhorizontal type and which is supported at its rear end by thedriving-wheels 2. At the front end of the boiler and underneath the sameis located a casting 3, comprising a saddle 4, secured to the under sideof the boiler, and a housing 5, forming a bearing for the king-bolt 6,which is mounted to turn therein. The lower end of the housing 5 restsupon a bearing-surface 7, formed about midway of the body of thekingbolt, which is provided at its central portion with a horizontalpart 8, cylindrical in general outline, although terminatiugiu enlargeddisk-shaped heads 9, and apertured, as indicated at 10, for the passageof a horizontal pin 11, which forms the horizontal pivot of theuniversal joint by which the front roller is connected to the boiler.The king-post 6 is provided at its upper end with a washer 12 and pin13, by means of which itis secured in position in the housing 5, and itslower end is braced by means of a rod 14, provided at its forward endwith an eye or collar 15, fitted on the reduced lower part 16 of theking-post and held in position by a collar 17 and pin 18 or in any othersuitable manner.

- The rear end of the brace-rod 14 is secured to the under side of thefront tank 19 or to any other suitable part of the machine.

The front roller 20 is mounted in a horizontal yoke 21, which isprovided with a centralopening 22 to receive the king-post 6 andprovided with front and rear bearing-disks 23, against which theenlarged heads 9 of the horizontal portion 8 of the kingpost bear. Thehorizontal pivot-pin 11 passes through the yoke 21 in the manner shownand serves to connect the same to the king-post. The yoke has a rearwardextension 24, provided with a guide-pin 25, having a roller or block 26thereon, fittingbetween guides 27, consisting, preferably, of arc shapedflanges secured to the front of the tank 19. In order to facilitateremoval of the pin 11, the rearward extension 24 of the yoke is slotted,as indicated at 28. A locking-plate 29 is employed to hold the pin 11 inposition. v

The usual steering-chains 30 are secured to the yoke 21 and connected tothe steeringdrums 31 on the steering-shaft 32. The yoke 21 is providedat its sides with segmental wings or extensions 33, lying in the planeof the body of the yoke, the same being segments of circles drawn fromthe center of the king-post and serving to act as chain guards or guidesfor the steering-chains.

It will be noted that by employing a horizontal yoke and locating theuniversal-joint connection of said yoke below the boiler instead of infront of the front end thereof the boiler-front is entirelyunobstructed, so that the front end of the boiler, which usuallyconstitutes the smoke-box, may be made of full diameter and of anydesired length. Moreover, since the boiler-front is entirelyunobstructed access may be had to the interior thereof and to theboiler-fines for the purpose of inspection and for cleaning the fines,it being possible to use a cleaning-tool of any desired length.Moreover, if it is desired to increase the diameter of the front rollerthis can readily be done by extending the horizontal yoke forward adistance sufficient to accommodate the increased diameter of the roller.It will also be seen that the driving strain is in the plane of the yokewhen this latteris horizontalinstead of being transverse thereto, as inthe case of the usual vertical yoke, which latter construction requiresa heavy yoke and causes a severe strain on the king-post or pivot.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise detailsof construction hereinbefore described, and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, as the same may obviously be modified without departing fromthe principle of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a steam road-roller, the combination, with a horizontal boilerprovided with driving-wheels at its rear end, of a steering-rollerlocated at the front of the boiler, a horizontal yoke in which saidroller is mounted, said yoke extending rearward from said roller underthe boiler, and a universal joint connecting said yoke with the underside of the boiler, said joint being located under the boiler and backof the front end of the same, whereby the boiler-front is unobstructed,substantially as described.

2. In a steam road-roller, the combination, with a horizontal boilerprovided with driving-wheels at its rear end, of a steering-rollerlocated at the front of the boiler, a horizontal yoke in which saidroller is mounted, said yoke extending rearward from said roller underthe boiler, and a universal joint connecting said yoke with the underside of the boiler, whereby the boiler-front is unobstructed, said yokebeing provided with a rearward extension, and fixed horizontal guidesbetween which said extension moves, substantially as described.

3. In a steam road-roller, the combination, with a horizontal boilerprovided with driving-wheels at its rear end and having a verticalhousing located under its front end, of a king-post pivotally mounted insaid housing, a horizontal yoke connected with said king-post by ahorizontal pivot, and a steering-rollermounted in said yoke,substantially as described.

4. In a steam road-roller, the combination, with a boiler having asaddle-casting secured to its under side at the front and provided witha vertical housing, of a king-post mounted in said housing, a horizontalyoke pivotally connected with said king-post by a horizontal pivot andprovided at its forward end with a steering-roller and at its rear endwith a bearing-roller, and horizontal guides se cured to a fixed part ofthe machine and receiving between them said bearing-roller,substantiallyas described.

5. In a' steam road-roller, the combination, with a horizontal boilerhavinga vertical housing secured underneath its front end, of aking-post mounted in said housing and having a bearing-surface uponwhich the lower end of the housing rests, and a transverse portionterminating in front and rear bearingdisks, a steering-roller, ahorizontal yoke in which said steering-roller is mounted, said yokebeing provided with an opening having bearing-surfaces to abut againstthe bearingdisks of the king-post, and a horizontal pin passing throughsaid yoke and through-the king-post, substantially as described.

6. In a steam road-roller, the combination, with a horizontalboilerhaving driving-wheels at the rear and a front tank, of a housinglocated under the front end of the boiler, akingpost rotatably mountedin said housing, a horizontal yoke connected with said housing by alongitudinal pivot, a steeringroller mounted in the forwardly-extendingarms of the yoke, said yoke being provided with a rearward extension,horizontal guide-plates secured to the front of the tank, the rearwardextension of the yoke being provided with a bearing-roller locatedbetween said plates, and a brace-rod connecting the lower end of theking-post and the tank, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS IVRIGHT.

IVitnesses:

IRVINE MILLER, TILL OLAUGI-ILIN.

ICC.

IIO

